


Cigars are for Eternity

by InsaneRedDragon



Series: Grains of Sand [30]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Cigars, Gen, Light Angst, Mentor/Protégé, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 03:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsaneRedDragon/pseuds/InsaneRedDragon
Summary: Eggsy finds Agent Whiskey up on the roof of Statesman's NY HQ, and Whiskey decides that what Eggsy needs is a lesson in cigar smoking.





	Cigars are for Eternity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elletromil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/gifts).



> Just a little something inspired by elletromil and virgosista. You both know why.

_"Smoking has a sedative effect upon the nerves, and enables a man to bear the sorrows of his life (of which everyone has his share) not only decently, but dignifiedly."_ \-- George Burrow

* * *

 

“Mind if I join you?”

No one ever bothers Whiskey when he’s up here. Somehow even though they all fancy themselves cowboys, he’s the only one who feels suffocated when he’s cooped up in the HQ for too long.

So the question startles him, and he turns to look over his shoulder to see who asked it. When he sees Eggsy standing cautiously in the stairwell, Whiskey smiles and jerks his head in his direction.

“Not at all. Come on over.”

Eggsy walks out into the sunshine and over to stand beside him. There is silence between them as they look out over the city. Eggsy’s gaze is off somewhere in the distance, and Whiskey’s certain that he’s thinking about home.

Whiskey’s never been to London, but all big cities have the same underlying quality to them, something that makes you think of people you’ve met or places you felt at home in. But for Eggsy, he suspects most of those things are gone now.

He takes a pull off his cigar and then switches hands to offer it to Eggsy. A distraction and a comfort, at least for Whiskey, and the only thing he can offer.

Eggsy glances at it from the corner of his eye before he reaches out to take it. He rolls it between his fingers experimentally before he brings it to his mouth. And inhales deeply.

Whiskey fights back a chuckle when Eggsy immediately starts coughing. He coughs and coughs and bends nearly in half, and in his desperate attempt to clear the smoke and get air to his lungs the cigar is dropped to the roof and rolls away and into a puddle.

When Eggsy finally recovers, he looks over sheepishly. “Sorry about your cigar. I ain't ever smoked one before, just spliffs and cigarettes.”

“Your mistake was inhaling. You interested in learning how to smoke it right?”

It's fascinating, Whiskey thinks, the expressions Eggsy goes through when he makes the offer. For a spy, his face is amazingly open. Whiskey watches as it flits from apprehensive, to melancholy, to resolute. 

From what Whiskey has been told, the butterfly man was once Eggsy’s mentor. Perhaps this had been something Eggsy had hoped to share with him, another skill imparted from a man he trusted. But now he doesn't even know who Eggsy is, and there are still things he needs to learn.

Eggsy finally nods and Whiskey smiles. From inside his jacket he pulls out a case. He opens it to show Eggsy.

“First thing is finding the right cigar.”

Whiskey notes the way Eggsy leans in as he explains how to choose a cigar. He finds it easy to let himself fall into the role of a teacher. He explains the differences in the tobacco and leaves, he shows him how to cut it properly (using a knife he pulls out of the brim of his hat), and he teaches him the importance of a proper light.

By the time Whiskey is pulling his first puff of smoke, Eggsy is leaning against the railing and looking at him completely enthralled. He blows out a trio of perfectly shaped smoke rings and grins.

“The key is not to inhale. Pull the smoke out, like a straw, and then hold it in your mouth before breathing it back out. You want to enjoy the flavour on your tongue, not in your lungs.”

He takes another pull and then once again hands the cigar over to Eggsy.

This time when Eggsy brings it to his mouth, he does so with much greater care. Whiskey watches as his lips wrap around the cigar and a tendril of heat finds its way down his spine.

Eggsy looks thoughtful as holds the smoke in his mouth. He exhales gently, away from Whiskey, and then turns to catch his eye. “Tastes like cedar and...apple?”

Whiskey grins and nods his head. “Also, you should get some hints of caramel. Not bad for your first taste.”

The smile Eggsy gives him is bright, and Whiskey finds himself returning it. Maybe there is something to this young British spy.

He watches Eggsy as he continues to smoke, eyes out over the city. Eventually he leans on the railing to look out at the city himself, reaching to take the cigar from Eggsy’s fingers for himself.

Maybe this partnership with Kingsman will turn out to be something good. He's willing to make the effort. Clearly this boy just needs another mentor, and Whiskey is starting to think that he might just be the right man for the job.


End file.
